Normandy landing beaches as World Heritage Sites: France has submitted their application to UNESCO

Normandy landing beaches as World Heritage Sites: France has submitted their application to UNESCOfr

The Normandy landing beaches, where the D-Day landings took place on 6th June 1944, have been included in France's UNESCO World Heritage Sites application, the French Minister of Culture announced on Thursday.

In January, the experts of the Committee of French World Heritage recommended that the Normandy landing beaches be included in the French submission to UNESCO. The Minister of Culture, Aurélie Filippetti, agreed. The list was sent to UNESCO on 7th April.

This inscription is the first step in increasing France's presence in the list of World Heritage Sites. The process can take several years.

The Committee for French World Heritage Sites is an expert committee together with the Ministers of Culture and Ecology, whose mission is to accompany and assess UNESCO World Heritage Site applications.

The Normandy landing beaches have become "relics symbolic of a key moment in European and World 20th century history, the reinstatement of a political and moral tradition in favour of Human Rights and peace", asserts the document sent to UNESCO.

The French Basse-Normandie region is actively trying to get the landing beaches listed on the UNESCO Heritage of Humanity. The region wants to remain a popular tourist spot, even though the number of veteran tourists is declining.